It is important to stress that this latest attack on file-sharing is sparked by the private initiative of a lawyer representing intellectual property owners. The State has not yet tipped its hand with regard to the attitude that it will assume, and indeed it is difficult to envisage a European Court convicting individiuals under criminal charges in advance of a US determination to similar effect.
In early June, for example, rumours of a swoop on Italian sharers circulated, claiming that 180 people were under investigation for copyright infringements relating to their use of p2p networks. This scare prompted a clarification by the police involved (Guardia di Finanzia) that the targets of the raid were active in commercial counterfieting rings that used p2p and ftp servers as part of their business, and that those who eployed the tools to share files were not the target of the operation. Elsewhhere in Europe during 2002 six eDonkey servers were shut down in Denmark were shut down by police under-pressure from industry groups, and letters of warning were issued to numerous German broadband users, who were informed that their traffic logs would be preserved in case of subsequent litigation by copyright owners.
As yet, however, there have been no state-instigated prosecutions of individuals for the collaborative sharing of media and knowledge that they call 'piracy.'
Spanish Firms Target File Traders
In what is being touted as the largest legal action of its kind, a Spanish law firm has announced plans to file a copyright-violation complaint against 4,000 individuals who allegedly have swapped illegal files over peer-to-peer networks in that country.
